Sporting Life
Luke Humphries will face Luke Littler in the PDC World Darts Championship final
Luke Humphries will face Luke Littler in the PDC World Darts Championship final

Darts results: 16-year-old Luke Littler to face Luke Humphries in the the PDC World Darts Championship final

By Chris Hammer
Darts
Wed January 03, 2024 · 1y ago

Luke Littler has become the youngest player ever to reach the Paddy Power World Darts Championship final at the age of 16 and will now face Luke Humphries for the title and a cheque for £500,000.

The teenage sensation averaged 106.05 - the fourth time he's exceeded 100 in his six matches - and fired 16 180s in another astonishing performance to thrash a stunned Rob Cross 5-2 at Alexandra Palace.

Cross took the opening set 3-2 but the ice cool Littler, who has not shown any signs of nerves or pressure at any point throughout his mind-bogglingly remarkable debut, swiftly bounced back to romp into a 3-1 lead and although Voltage cut the deficit to one in the fifth, that would be his last act of resistance despite producing an impressive 102 average of his own.

CLICK HERE FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS

Littler has now only dropped six sets during his fairytale run that has also seen him brush aside Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Raymond van Barneveld and Brendan Dolan, while this latest display was statistically the fourth best in a World Championship semi-final behind Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld.

However, around 90 minutes later, Humphries pushed that down to fifth with a breathtaking display of his own as he produced a 108.74 average in a 6-0 thumping of Scott Williams that also saw him complete his rapid climb to world number one regardless of what happens in Wednesday night's final.

That was the 10th highest average in the tournament's history, with only Michael van Gerwen (x3), Phil Taylor (x4) and Raymond van Barneveld (x2) managing higher ones, while he also smashed in 14 maximums in just 25 legs, pinned 60% of his doubles and landed six 100+ checkouts including the Big Fish of 170.

The pair have met before in a pub competition back in 2019 when Littler was only 12 but this next battle will surely be just the first of many to come in major finals.

History maker

Littler is now on the cusp of producing one of the greatest sporting stories of all time, which would rival Emma Raducanu’s US Open win in 2021 when she became became the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a major singles title, and didn't even drop a set.

‘The Nuke’, who produced three 130-plus checkouts including a stunning effort from 132 which included two bullseyes, is trying to emulate 2018 champion Cross by lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy on debut but Humphries will start as marginal favourite on the back of his last two performances which were the kind that helped him win three of the last four major tournaments.

IS LUKE LITTLER THE NEXT PHIL TAYLOR AND WILL HE BE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

Littler's meteoric rise to celebrity status and his exploits have transcended the world of darts, already appealing to a younger generation of fans, with broadcaster Sky Sports reporting they had an 18.5 per cent share of all under-35 viewing in the UK for his New Year’s Day quarter-final win over Brendan Dolan.

He only qualified for the tournament by winning the World Youth Championship in November and his fairytale run has put the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) under pressure to hand him a place in the forthcoming Premier League.

Littler said: “I’ll keep doing what I have been doing, I don’t wake up until 12, in the morning go for my ham and cheese omelette, come here and have my pizza, and then go on the practice board.

“It is what I have been doing every day – if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”

He added: “It’s crazy, it’s crazy to think I am in the World Championship final. I was happy winning one game, but I could go all the way.

“I haven’t got the words. It’s crazy. I have just settled on that stage. It has not even sunk in yet. I have surprised myself.

“I have just got to stay focused and be Luke Littler. I have got to be mature and be myself.

“It would be unbelievable if I won it, I only wanted to win one match.”

Cool Hand reaches the top

Humphries' victory saw him climb above Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith to the top of the rankings.

He said: “It feels amazing, I would never have imagined myself to be world number one and I did it in style, I was really pleased with the performance.

“I have always said world number one can last a number of months, world champion is forever.”

World Darts Championship 2024: Tuesday results & Wednesday schedule

Tuesday January 2
Evening Session (7.30pm GMT)
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts

  • Luke Littler 6-2 Rob Cross
  • Scott Williams 0-6 Luke Humphries

Wednesday January 3 (8pm GMT)
Final (Best of 13 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts

  • Luke Littler v Luke Humphries

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